Aftermath

DAKOTA

Terrified, I watch Dashiell as he throws up blood, staining the floor with crimson. With trembling fingers, I take out my phone from my purse and dial West's number. He picks my call on the first ring and I quickly bring it to my ear.

"Hey," he breathes and I glance at Dashiell who gazes up at me, his brows furrowed.

"Can you uh... come to Dashiell's study now?" I ask and he sucks in a sharp breath.

"Something happened," he points out and I purse my lip, gripping the strands of my hair as tension grips me.

"Dashiell got poisoned," I say, squeezing my eyes shut. West curses under his breath and before I can say anything, he's suddenly standing in front of me, holding his phone to his ear. He nods at me and slips his phone into his pocket, turning to face Dashiell who leans against the wall, his eyes closed.

"How did you get here so quickly?" I say.

He doesn't spare me a glance as he goes down on his knees beside Dashiell who is resting his head on the wall, his lips stained